Context for Hillary’s Speech The Four Freedoms!

Four Freedoms Paintings  The Four Freedoms is a series of four oil paintings produced in 1943 by the American artist Norman Rockwell.  The series, now in the Norman Rockwell Museum, was made for reproduction in The Saturday Evening Post over the course of four consecutive weeks in 1943 alongside essays by prominent thinkers of the day.  The Four Freedoms theme was derived from the 1941 State of the Union Address by FDR on January 6.

 During the speech, he identified four essential human rights (Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom From Want and Freedom From Fear) that should be universally protected.  This theme was eventually incorporated into the charter of the United Nations.  This series of paintings is the cornerstone of the career of Rockwell, who was the most widely known contemporary commercial artist of the mid 20th century, but who failed to achieve critical acclaim.  The Freedom from Want painting in particular is now dubbed “The Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving.”

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Worship

Freedom from Fear

Freedom from Want

What “American” priority or value is being expressed in each painting and how? (Alternatively, if you feel the value is not well expressed by the painting, we can discuss that).

Freedom from Want parody

What does the parody express about the American identity?

Updated versions of “Freedom from Want” 

Last thing to keep in mind… The speeches you are reading are heavily polished versions of the speaker’s ideas. No one speaks poetically or rhetorically without revision, planning, and (of course) influence from speechwriters. See example on next slide…

“Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.” DraftJFK Inaugural SpeechFinal Copy “I would like to see permanent joint commissions at work…to undertake interstellar exploration to conquer the deserts and tap the riches of the oceans…” Adapted from Richard J. Tofel, Sounding the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2005), Found on JFK library website.